Although Constitution remains plugged in at the top of PennLive’s Class AA boys’ basketball rankings, Rob Moore’s Generals found themselves in a ballgame when they headed for the locker room at Saturday’s halftime break.

And while Constitution led Columbia 28-23 at intermission, a strong third quarter surge (18-8) created separation and Moore’s talented outfit eventually prevailed 61-45 in the opening round of the PIAA Class AA tournament.

Bumped from the top 10 following a third-place finish in the District 2-AA tournament, Mid Valley jumped back in at No. 9 following a 58-57 victory over then-No. 4 Lewisburg that arrived on Mo Blackwell’s last-second stickback.

Despite having its season brought to a dramatic end — John Vaji’s Green Dragons pushed in front of Mid Valley with 10.7 seconds remaining on a pair of Sam Allen freebies — Lewisburg remains in the top 10 at No. 10.

Short synopses of our top 10 appear below, with PIAA district, overall record and record for the week displayed in parentheses.

1. Constitution (12, 24-5, 1-0) — previous ranking: 1 — Locked in a tight scrap at halftime with revved-up Columbia in Saturday’s state opener, Rob Moore’s Generals parlayed a strong third quarter into a 61-45 victory. Kimar Williams dropped in 21 points to lead Constitution, which led 28-23 at the break and 46-31 after three quarters. Anthony Satchell chipped in nine points for Moore’s Generals, who will meet No. 9 Mid Valley in Wednesday night’s second round.

2. Seton-LaSalle (7, 26-1, 1-0) — previous ranking: 2 — Popping four players into double figures, Mark Walsh’s balanced Rebels opened state play Saturday with an 82-51 triumph over Penns Valley. Levi Masua (18), Ryan Norkus (13), Dale Clancy (12) and Christian DelGreco (10) shared 53 points for Seton, which led 36-24 at the break and 63-38 after three quarters. Up next for Walsh’s Rebels is a second-round scrap Wednesday night with Mercyhurst Prep.

3. Greensburg Central Catholic (7, 23-3, 1-0) — previous ranking: 3 — Dr. Greg Bisignani’s powerful Centurions did not encounter much resistance in their state opener, as they routed Bald Eagle Area 92-59 at nearby Hempfield High School behind 25 points from Brian Graytok. Billy Hipp added 15 points and Romano Sebastiani checked in with 11 for GCC, which will meet No. 6 West Middlesex in Wednesday night’s second round.

4. Loyalsock (4, 25-3, 1-0) — previous ranking: 5 — Charged up and ready to avenge a lingering loss to Trinity that ended a terrific 2012-2013 campaign, Ron Insinger’s Lancers opened state play by wheeling past the District 3-AA champs 69-52. Omar Little posted 21 of his 28 points in the opening half, while Ben Sosa cranked out a double-double (17 points, 11 rebounds), Mike Pastore chipped in 13 points and Kyle Datres dished out 11 assists. Up next for ‘Sock is a return trip Wednesday night to suburban Harrisburg for a scrap with Del-Val Charter.

5. Aliquippa (7, 19-6, 1-0) — previous ranking: 6 — With Jassir Jordan ringing up 21 points and Patrick Anderson checking in with 15, Nick Lackovich’s Quips opened the state tournament Saturday by easing past ranked Fairview 60-42. Up next for Aliquippa in Wednesday night’s second round is a dustup with WPIAL counterpart Quaker Valley.

Matt Johns had his undersized Columbia Crimson Tide within five points (28-23) of top-ranked Constitution at halftime of Saturday's state tournament opener. Constitution ultimately won 61-45. (Christine Baker, PennLive.com)

6. West Middlesex (10, 21-5, 1-0) — previous ranking: 7 — Chad Mild’s Big Reds extended their winning streak to 11 games Saturday by sidelining Neshannock 76-66 in their state opener. Trey Staunch racked up 31 points for the District 10-AA champs, while Ike Williams checked in with 21 and Josh Porterfield wound up with 15. Up next for West Middlesex is a scrap with No. 3 Greensburg Central Catholic.